The present invention relates generally to laryngoscopes, and more particularly to laryngoscope blades having an integral fiber optic scope electrically connected to a remote viewing system for enabling an instructor to observe and direct the insertion of the laryngoscope by a student.
Endotracheal intubation is a life-saving procedure that must be mastered by many medical disciplines. Typically, the intubator inserts a laryngoscope blade attached to a handle into a patient's mouth to displace the tongue and to visualize the epiglottis and larynx in order to insert an endotracheal tube. Illumination of the structures in the airway is provided by a light source at the tip of the blade. The light source is generally powered by a battery source contained in the handle.
Because intubation is frequently performed in emergency situations, it is critical that a physician or healthcare professional be trained to properly insert a laryngoscope. Malposition of the laryngoscope blade and prolonged intubation attempts pose risks to the patient and may prevent the prompt and effective administration of treatment. Unfortunately, in teaching the mechanics of intubation, an instructor is precluded from viewing the anatomy while a student is performing the intubation procedure. Thus, the instructor is unable to provide necessary instruction and feedback to the student to facilitate proper insertion and placement of the laryngoscope blade.
Accordingly, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that it is convenient and desirable to have a laryngoscope equipped with means for illuminating and remotely viewing the pharynx, larynx, trachea and associated structures during intubation of a patient. To this end, there have been several attempts to devise laryngoscopes which include ruminating devices.
One such attempt was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,363,838, issued to George, which is directed to an intubating scope with an auxiliary fiber optic camera connected to an external electronic viewing screen. The intubating scope is disposed within an endotracheal tube, which is inserted into the airway after a laryngoscope blade has been inserted and used to open the airway. Accordingly, the fiber optic scope is useful for guiding the endotracheal tube further into the larynx and trachea after a laryngoscope has been inserted and utilized to open the airway. However, the device is not useful for teaching the basic skill of properly inserting the laryngoscope blade in order to facilitate the subsequent placement of an endotracheal tube.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,708, issued to Lee, discloses a viewing laryngoscope comprising a blade having a pair of fiberoptic bundles. One bundle transmits light to the distal end of the blade, and the other bundle is optically coupled to a lens for line-of-sight viewing of the area adjacent the distal end of the blade. While the device enables line-of-sight viewing by the user, it does not enable remote simultaneous viewing of the airway during insertion of the blade for facilitating instruction regarding proper placement of an endotracheal tube.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,392, issued to Wu, discloses a laryngoscope comprising a blade and an integral handle having an enclosed cavity which receives a fiberoptic bundle having illuminating and viewing fibers. An eyepiece is connected to view the image from the viewing fiberoptic bundle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,870, issued to Lacy, discloses a laryngoscope having a removable blade assembly containing a light-conducting rod which delivers illumination distally from a light source in the handle. However, the Lacy device does not enable remote simultaneous viewing during intubation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,306,547, issued to Lowell, discloses a rigid fiberoptic laryngoscope having a forwardly extending blade and an instrument supporting channel. The laryngoscope includes a viewing assembly and light source each connected to fiberoptic bundles.
Another device used as a teaching aid in intubation is an "airway cam", which includes a headgear-mounted micro-camera that transmits what is observed by a student while carrying out an intubation procedure. With this device, the visibility is limited to only what the student is able to observe because the camera is not inserted into the airway during intubation. Further, the airway cam requires a separate piece of equipment to enable remote viewing.
All of the aforementioned devices include light means for illuminating the air passage during insertion of an endotracheal tube. However, none of the devices enables simultaneous remote viewing during the initial placement and positioning of the laryngoscope blade to open the airway for insertion of the endotracheal tube. What is needed then, is a larygoscope blade equipped with means for illuminating the air passage and for enabling remote viewing of the airway during insertion of the blade. In this manner, an instructor can simultaneously observe the anatomy of the patient via a remote viewing system during intubation by a student to insure proper insertion of the laryngoscope blade.